🔗 Share this article

On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "severe" level.

Alarming Pollution Levels

Various sections of the city showed an air quality index over 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended level established by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times exceeding healthy limits.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Changes

Since 2020, authorities had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the deadly haze that blankets the metropolis as the cold season approaches.

Nevertheless in recent months, the current city government appealed to the supreme court to request a easing of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically questioned by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Court Ruling and Implementation

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, judges agreed to the appeal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited time windows throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was extensive disregard of the designated hours across the metropolis, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Several air quality sensors throughout the capital showed pollution peaking around midnight to the most severe levels observed during Diwali in at least the past three years.

International Consequences

The widespread use of fireworks during Diwali also sparked a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing worsening atmospheric conditions in Lahore on pollutants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated levels of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have continued as a significant problem for more than 15 years, with the situation showing no improvement.

Near Diwali, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the air has been documented to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the worst records ever recorded in Beijing, which was formerly considered as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Multiple Contamination Sources

The situation in the capital is caused by a combination of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, construction activities, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, rural residents regularly set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, generating hazardous pollution that then gets trapped over the city as cooler air descends.

Health and Economic Toll

The economic and health toll on the roughly thirty-three million people residing in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to various research.

These hazardous conditions leads to elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and lung conditions, and can even lead to cancer.

The pollution is calculated to be causing approximately 10k early deaths per year in Delhi.